Delta II Launch of GPS IIR-10 Set for Sunday
By Staff Writer | December 18, 2003
Boeing [NYSE: BA] is set to launch a next-generation GPS satellite for the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch of GPS IIR-10 will occur in a 15-minute window that opens at 2:54 a.m. EST.
The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]-built satellite features an advanced antenna panel, which will increase power for GPS receivers.
There are eight new-generation GPS IIR spacecraft currently on orbit out of a total GPS constellation of 28 satellites. GPS IIR satellites are designed to improve global coverage and increase the overall performance of the GPS constellation. After the IIR-10 mission, eleven more satellites will be launched to sustain the GPS constellation.